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Hawking Gives Humans 1,000 Years Left on Earth: Report

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Physicist Stephen Hawking spoke at Oxford University Monday and presented an ominous prediction: if humanity continues beyond the next 1,000 years, it will be on another planet, according to a report. 

Hawking reportedly argued that humans may not be able to overcome threats of nuclear warfare, climate change and the rise of artificial intelligence, and that humankind is catalyzing the end of earth’s habitability by quickly depleting its resources.

“I don’t think we will survive another 1,000 years without escaping beyond our fragile planet,” he said, according to the Daily Express. In order to survive, Hawking humans must “continue to go into space for the future of humanity.”

Hawking believes that leaving the planet behind is the best chance for survival. He voiced hope that space expeditions would be more advanced by the time a catastrophic disaster threatens Earth, so that humans may evacuate to another planet, the Daily Express reported.

Still, despite the challenges he foresees, Hawking reportedly said it is a “glorious time to be alive and doing research into theoretical physics.”

Hawking, 74, is the director of research at Cambridge University's Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. His renowned career in phyiscs and cosmotology has focused on the basic laws that govern physical reality, including groundbreaking theories about the nature of black holes. He continued researching despite Lou Gehrig's disease all but limiting his ability to move. 

This isn't the first time Hawking has expressed the view that humanity needs to leave its home planet if it wants to survive. 

In September, the Guardian newspaper published an excerpt from the theoretical physicist's book "How To Make A Spaceship" in which he says, “I believe that life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as sudden nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus, or other dangers.”

Earlier this year, the BBC reported that Hawking said progress in science and technology will actually create "new ways things can go wrong" at a lecture, and that artificial intelligence should not be underestimated for its potential to advance quicker than humans can it takes off on its own and designs itself.

"We are not going to stop making progress, or reverse it, so we have to recognize the dangers and control them," Hawking said at the January lecture. "I'm an optimist, and I believe we can."



Photo Credit: Joel Ryan/Invision/AP, File

Attorney General: Spike in Hate Crimes 'Deeply Sobering'

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In a video message Friday, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch responded to a spike in hate crimes that the federal government found in 2015, saying the increase should be "deeply sobering" to Americans. 

The FBI reported a six-percent increase in hate crimes nationally in 2015, with anti-Muslim crimes increasing by a staggering 67 percent, Lynch said on the video. 

"These numbers should be deeply sobering for all Americans," Lynch said. 

She also mentioned of recent news of a spate of reported hate crimes in the U.S., and encouraged Americans to report the incidents to the police, saying it is the "right and just thing to do." 

"Some of these incidents have happened in schools. Others have targeted houses of worship," Lynch said on the video. "And some have singled out individuals for attacks and intimidation."

She continued, "We need you to continue to report these incidents to local law enforcement, as well as the Justice Department, so that our career investigators and prosecutors can take action to defend your rights." 

Lynch acknowledged that people were concerned about the more recent incidents, which the government does not yet have statistics on, but she noted enforcing hate crime laws is "about staying true to our highest ideals and most cherished principles" of equal protection under the law. 

"I want the American people to know that as long as that work is necessary, the Department of Justice will continue to carry it forward," Lynch said.



Photo Credit: AP, File

Buckingham Palace to Get $458M Makeover

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Buckingham Palace will receive a major facelift at a cost of £369 million ($458 million), officials revealed Friday.

Miles of aging cables, lead pipes and electrical wiring will be replaced at the London home of Queen Elizabeth II, many for the first time in 60 years.

The U.K. monarch will remain in residence as the work is carried out over several phases spread over a 10-year period, the statement said.

Although the cost given for the works is listed as $458 million, royal officials said that is expected to be reduced to $275 million when benefits, efficiencies and adjustments for inflation are taken into account.

The work will be funded by a temporary 10 percent uplift in the Sovereign Grant, the mechanism by which the U.K. government funds the official running costs of the queen's household, official royal travel and maintenance of occupied royal households.



Photo Credit: AP

Congress Prepares for President Trump, Legislative Action

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Congress has been stuck in a numbing gridlock for six years, due to a Republican majority, Democratic White House and widening ideological gap between the parties.

But in Congress' first session since President-elect Donald Trump's victory, leaders in both parties were talking about immediate action, NBC News reported.

It just isn't clear on what.

Republicans are now in charge across the board, opening up the possibility of major legislation passing. But some Republican lawmakers opposed Trump and his policies have at times been vague, contradictory or extreme.

Now both parties can foresee a best-case scenario in which Trump pushes shared policy goals and a worst-case scenario where they are bitter political enemies.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Escondido Police Investigate Man's Death

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A desperate call for help from a woman in Escondido early Friday led to the discovery of her boyfriend’s body, police said.

An unidentified man was found dead inside a back bedroom of a home on E. Lincoln Avenue near Paula Way just after 2 a.m., according to Lt. Ed Varso of the Escondido Police Department.

Varso said a woman called a family member for help after she had a fight with her boyfriend. The family member called 911.

When officers arrived, they found the woman outside the home and the man in a bedroom in the rear of the house with what appear to be stab wounds, Varso said.

The man was rushed to Palomar Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Officers were interviewing the woman to learn more details of what may have transpired.

A next-door neighbor said he has heard fighting from the home in the past but never thought the fights would escalate.

“I just wish I could have done something about it,” said Brandt Jimerson.

There have been no arrests. Investigators have not released any suspect description.

The location of the incident is east of Interstate 15, just south of East El Norte Parkway.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Immigrants' Advocates Grapple With a Trump Presidency

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Jason De León spoke to a Mexican man before the election who asked if he thought a mass deportation was likely. Like most pundits and political analysts, De León, assistant professor at the University of Michigan and founder of the Undocumented Migration Project, couldn’t fathom a Donald Trump presidency. He told the man it was “an impossibility.”

Now, he’s eating his words. 

Since the election results rolled in, undocumented U.S. immigrants and their sympathizers have had to accept the reality of President-elect Trump. For many of them, the election symbolized a possible revolution in policy, with their fates hanging in the balance.

Building a wall along the Mexican-American border was a focal point for Trump’s campaign, and the president-elect has promised to get tough on undocumented immigration to the interior when he takes the Oval Office in January.

Despite deporting 2.4 million undocumented immigrants between 2009 and 2014, President Barack Obama has been criticized by the GOP, and Trump especially, as being too easy on those who came to America "improperly," or without legal status. 

An estimated 11 to 12 million undocumented immigrants now live in the United States. On CBS' "60 Minutes," Trump said he plans to deport or incarcerate two to three million undocumented immigrants who have criminal records or are gang members or drug dealers. 

The claim that there are up to three million undocumented immigrants who are dangerous criminals is an exaggeration, according to FackCheck.org. A 2013 federal report said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement estimated there were "1.9 million removable criminal aliens" in the U.S. But "criminal aliens" also includes green card holders or those on temporary visas who have committed a crime. The number of undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of a felony or serious misdemeanor is closer to 690,000, according to a July 2015 report by the Migration Policy Institute. 

“I don’t know how possible, whether he’s going to be able to do all of it. But certainly he can make an effort,” said Ira Mehlman, spokesperson for the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

Improper entry into the United States is considered a misdemeanor and is punishable by up to six months imprisonment. Reentry is a felony, which means that anyone who tries to cross the border again after being deported has a criminal record. Many of those who attempt reentry want to reunite with their family despite American laws that restrict deportees from applying for visas for up to 20 years after their removal from the country. 

Of the remaining undocumented immigrants without felonies, Trump said he would make a determination "after the border is secured and everything gets normalized."

He called those individuals "terrific people."

Andy J. Semotiuk, a U.S. and Canadian immigration lawyer who works out of Los Angeles and Toronto, said it may take politicians a while to get to immigration because “thankfully, we all know how slow government works.”

He hypothesized that the Trump administration will have to first focus its efforts on repealing the Affordable Care Act, reforming tax policies for businesses, and resolving existing wars in the Middle East.

A mass deportation that rid the country of all undocumented immigrants would require a lot of resources. "Deporting 11 million people is a mission impossible,” Semotiuk said. “It’s just a fact, whether you like it or not.”

Another factor that slows mass deportation: America has due process, which means anyone who’s been accused of illegal activity gets a trial.

“You can’t just pick someone up and send them back to Mexico,” Semotiuk said. “You have to give them a chance to explain themselves, or defend themselves.” 

Trump would have to increase the number of judges, prosecutors, clerks, coordinators, and other officials in the court system to meet demand. That would be expensive and time-consuming. Semotiuk said that even if the accused immigrant cooperated completely with his or her trial and didn’t make any arguments to remain in the U.S., a court would at the most be able to process 10 cases a day. For two million cases, that’s 200,000, or about 548 years, of court days. Trying 11 million cases would require over a million court days. 

“If a dictator was in charge of a country, even then it would be hard for someone to marshal all the resources,” Semotiuk said.

According to The Associated Press, the U.S. judicial branch now has a "backlog of more than half-a-million cases already pending in immigration court." The holding cells where undocumented immigrants stay until their hearings are also overfilled and overflowing, and immigrants have brought a lawsuit against the Border Patrol in Arizona because of the cells' crowded, unclean, and cold conditions. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security told the AP that there were 41,000 immigrants in detention centers across the U.S. 

On CNN's "State of the Union," House Speaker Paul Ryan came out against erecting a deportation task force. He said that plans in Congress were to concentrate on securing the border, a virtual continuation of Obama’s policy.

Still, Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, is “confident that there will be a reduction in the size of the illegal population,” partly because “the career immigration personnel (will be) allowed to do their job,” and partly because undocumented immigrants, fearing arrest, will leave on their own. “Most people don’t want to be subject to enforcement,” she said. Mehlman called this exodus “induced voluntary compliance.”

But Vaughan emphasized that deportations won’t be cartoonish, with officials knocking on doors and rounding up undocumented immigrants in box cars.

Trump has also promised to get rid of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals system, Obama’s solution to protect immigrants who came over improperly as children. Mehlman called DACA an “inducement for illegal immigration” that “carves out a lone exception” to policy toward misdemeanors. 

To repeal it, Trump wouldn’t need congressional support, just a stroke of his pen. Obama used an executive order to put DACA into practice in 2012, and it is not law. “He can definitely rescind that,” said Cesar Vargas, an undocumented immigrant in New York who fought for four years to become an attorney despite his legal status. Without DACA, undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children would not have exceptional means to petition to stay here.

Vargas tried to put a positive spin on Trump’s immigration reform, noting that the president-elect has claimed that he doesn’t want to deport people who have lived here for years. DACA was always meant to be temporary, Vargas said, and he’s hoping that Trump’s plans may actually help the immigrant community by creating a more direct path toward citizenship. 

“It’s unpredictable,” he said. “So I think that while there is concern, there is an opportunity there.”

Meanwhile, Vargas is holding free consultations to inform undocumented people of resources at their disposal. For example, he spoke with a couple whose children are in the military -- if you’re a member of the service and your family is undocumented, you can request that they receive a special immigration status. He also said that for those in a healthy relationship with an American citizen, a green card marriage is a viable option. 

Resource centers for undocumented immigrants are experiencing an influx of concerned people who fear deportation. The AP reports that phones are ringing off the hook at Chicago's National Immigrant Justice Center and the New York Legal Assistance Group as immigrants try to find ways to protect themselves before the President-elect takes office. 

According to the AP, 740,000 young people who benefit from DACA have the "most urgent inquiries" about the effects of Trump's presidency. 

"We're operating with a lot of unknowns, and a certain amount of fear comes with that," Vanessa Esparza-López, a managing attorney at the Chicago-based National Immigrant Justice Center, told the AP.

Semotiuk remembered undocumented immigrants he had met over the years through his work. At first, he “had no sympathy,” but then he listened to why they were here. 

“It’s worthwhile to get to know some of them… and once you get to know them, how they got to the United States, it’s one sad story,” he said.

Between 2007 and 2014, 164,000 Mexicans have been victims of homicide, Frontline reported. Many undocumented U.S. immigrants who come from Mexico are fleeing cartel violence in search of a better, safer life.

While undocumented immigrants come from around the world, during his campaign Trump zoomed in on the 59 percent who are originally from Mexico, calling them “rapists” and “killers” and posing them as threats to national security. In fact, the overwhelming majority of migrants coming through the border with Mexico have been people from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, the Obama administration said earlier this year. 

De León said that in Michigan, there seems to be “a conflation between Latinos and undocumented people.”

“As a documented, overeducated male, I’m still a Latino,” he said. “I have never in my life feared for my safety -- the safety of my kids and my friends -- and I have in the last couple of days. I’ve never in my life felt afraid to speak Spanish in public until yesterday.”

Mayors of cities across the United States, from Los Angeles, to New York, to Burlington, Vermont, have declared their jurisdictions "sanctuaries" for immigrant communities. What the term "sanctuary" means varies by city. In some cases that means refusing to let ICE know when an undocumented immigrant is about to be released from custody.

Offering such shelter comes with possible retaliations, as Trump has threatened to pull federal funding from areas that don't follow his immigration policy.



Photo Credit: Zach Gibson/ Getty Images
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USS Murtha Arrives Home From Maiden Voyage

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San Diego greeted USS John P. Murtha as it completed its maiden voyage Friday.

The crew of the newest U.S. Navy ship arrived at Naval Base San Diego to crowds of family and friends.

The amphibious transport dock ship was built in Mississippi in the Gulf of Mexico. After four years of construction and sea trials, USS Murtha set sail in August for its new homeport in San Diego.

Four hundred sailors were on board. They are known as plankowners since they are part of the commissioning crew. That’s a special honor not all U.S. Navy personnel get to experience in their careers.

“Being a plankowner is awesome,” said Ensign Payton Kaleiwahea. The camaraderie and the family – that’s something different.”

The ship was named in honor of Congressman John P. Murtha who served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 20 years and represented the state of Pennsylvania from 1974 until his death in 2010.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Bicyclist Injured in Collision With Car

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A woman was riding her bike Friday morning when she was clipped by a car. NBC 7's Astrid Solorzano reports from the Midway District.

Photo Credit: NBC 7

100M Dead Calif. Trees: Survey

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Federal surveyors found an additional 36 million dead trees across California since its last aerial survey in May, bringing the total number of dead trees found in the last six years to over 102 million in the state's drought-stricken forests, the government on Friday.

Sixty-two million trees have died in 2016 alone, a 100 percent increase in dead trees across the state from 2015, according to a joint statement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service. Millions of additional trees are weakened and expected to die in the coming months and years, officials said.

"This is sad for the state," US Forest Service Tree Mortality specialist Stephanie Gomes said on Friday from her base in Vallejo, California. "Forests provide water, electricity and cleaner air for everyone in the state. This impacts everyone in California.

She is on a team that has been surveying the dead trees, and they all knew that there would be more to report to the public. Her team discovered that 36 million dead trees in the last five months, and 102 million dead trees have been tracked since 2010.

To that end, USDA spokesman Mike Illenberg said Friday in a phone interview from Washington, D.C, that the agency wants to re-classify large wildfires as natural disasters, to be able to draw from an emergency fund of federal money. Currently, the fires are fought with "restoration" money, Illenberg said.

“Instead of treating catastrophic wildfires as a normal agency expense," Illenberg said, "we must treat them more like other natural disasters, such as tornadoes or hurricanes.”

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Forest Service officials said finding this money is crucial if California residents don't want to be continually hammered and evacuated by devastating wildfires. This year, California had a record-setting wildfire season, officials said, with the Blue Cut fire in the Inland Empire alone scorching over 30,000 acres and triggering the evacuation of 80,000 people.

"These dead and dying trees continue to elevate the risk of wildfire, complicate our efforts to respond safely and effectively to fires when they do occur, and pose a host of threats to life and property across California," Vilsack said in a statement. "We can't break this cycle of diverting funds away from restoration work to fight the immediate threat of the large unpredictable fires caused by the fuel buildups themselves."

The majority of the 102 million dead trees are in ten counties in the southern and central Sierra Nevada region. The Forest Service also identified increasing mortality in the northern part of the state, including Siskiyou, Modoc, Plumas and Lassen counties.

They are dying, officials note, because of five consecutive years of severe drought in California, a dramatic rise in bark beetle infestation and warmer temperatures on the planet.

Illenberg said that by 2025, the cost of fire suppression is expected to grow to nearly $1.8 billion. And if nothing changes, he said, the Forest Service will be forced to take an additional $700 million over the next 10 years from all the other programs.



Photo Credit: AP, File

Trump Family Has Given Nearly $20,000 to Chuck Schumer

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President-elect Donald Trump's most powerful adversary in the Senate will be incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Both men appear to have at least one thing in common: they both rooted for the Democrat when he was up for elections from 1996-2010.

According to the Federal Election Commission's filings, Trump has given Schumer about $9,000 in political donations over a 14-year span. Trump's three oldest children, Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka have also donated a combined $6,800 to Schumer. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has given Schumer $4,000. 

“The Trump family campaign contributions to Sen. Schumer – like most sizable campaign contributions – are often intended to curry access if not favor with a sitting lawmaker who has some oversight authority over their business interests,” said Craig Holman, a public affairs lobbyist with the government watchdog group Public Citizen. “Schumer has generally shown an independent streak not easily influenced by such contributions, but he is now in a situation of directly negotiating one-on-one with President-elect Trump and the Trump family.”

Holman said that if Schumer were to compromise with Trump those past contributions could give the appearance of "undue influence," adding that the U.S. senator from New York would do himself a great favor by returning the donations.

Holman said that if Schumer were to compromise with Trump those past contributions could give the appearance of "undue influence," adding that the U.S. senator from New York would do himself a great favor by returning the donations.

Asked if he would give back Trump’s donations, Senator Schumer's Communications Director Matt House said “it’s a ridiculous question."

"Senator Schumer had no problem standing up to Trump during his campaign and will have no problem doing so in the future,” House added.

Sen. Schumer publicly voiced his support for Hillary Clinton leading up to the election and attended a number of the Democratic candidate's campaign events. He called Trump's rhetoric "empty bravado" during his speech at the DNC.

In April 2011, Trump went on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show to talk about his donations to Democrats when he was considering a run for the Oval Office five years ago, Politico reported. Up until that point, Trump had given the majority of his political donations to Democrats.

“I’ve contributed to Schumer ... I’ve known Schumer for many, many years,” Trump said. “And I have a good relationship with him. The fact is, that I think it is time that maybe we do all get along.”

Starting with the 2012 election cycle, however, Trump exclusively donated to Republicans at the federal level.

Just last month at the Al Smith dinner in New York, Trump jokingly made the remark that Schumer “used to love me when I was a Democrat.”

After Schumer was voted the senate minority leader on Wednesday, he told reporters that he plans to work with Trump when possible.

“When we can agree on issues, then we're going to work with them," Schumer said. "But I've also said to the president-elect on issues where we disagree, you can expect a strong and tough fight."



Photo Credit: Getty Images

SDPD: Intruder Found Hiding in Backyard Hot Tub

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San Diego Police say multiple 911 calls Thursday led them to a man hiding in a backyard hot tub in Rancho Bernardo. The man was in custody, accused of breaking in or attempting to break into several homes.

The suspect ducked his head when NBC 7 showed up but he couldn't hide for long as officers pulled him out of the cruiser to have witnesses confirm they'd gotten the right guy.

The suspect, whose name was not released by police, lives in Los Angeles and was driving home from Mexico. For some reason, police say, he made an inland detour into this neighborhood - he was going from backyard to backyard when police finally caught him.

Investigators say they believe the man did break into some homes, but they don't know why. Officers never recovered any stolen property and haven't heard from any homeowners who are missing valuables.

Rancho Bernardo residents who believe someone may have broken into their home can call SDPD at (858) 538-8000.

Deputies Arrest Ramona Man in Shooting

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A Ramona man was arrested Thursday after firing a weapon that struck and injured someone inside his home, San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputies said.

Don Aspin, 86, is accused of assault with a deadly weapon. Deputies said Aspin was inside his home in a mobile home park at 1212 H Street when several rounds were fired from inside his bedroom, through his bedroom door.

One of the bullets struck another person in the leg who was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Aspin was armed with a hand gun and a rifle, deputies said.

Several minutes after deputies arrived, Aspin surrendered to law enforcement and was taken into custody on one charge of assault with a deadly weapon.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Driver Has Heart Attack, Crashes into Bay in Pacific Beach

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A man is being treated at the hospital after going off of the roadway into Mission Bay at around 4:15 p.m. on Friday.

According to the San Diego Police Department, the man was pulling into Ski Beach when he suffered a heart attack and accelerated over the sidewalk and into Mission Bay.

The driver was extricated and emergency crews performed life-saving measures before transporting him to the hospital.

The SUV has been towed out of the water.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Wrong-Way Driver Dies in Collision on Interstate 805

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A man who was driving the wrong way on a San Diego highway was killed when he collided with another vehicle and overturned, California Highway Patrol officers said Friday.

The CHP received multiple calls from other drivers reporting a red Jeep traveling south along the northbound Interstate 5 beginning at 11 p.m.

Moments later, someone called 911 and reported a collision on northbound Interstate 805 just north of Governor Drive.

The Jeep collided with a silver, Honda sedan and overturned near the center divider. The sedan came to rest along the right shoulder of the highway.

The driver of the Jeep died from injuries suffered in the collision, officials said.

The collision interrupted highway traffic until 2 a.m. CHP initially halted all northbound I-5 traffic as far south as Old Town but reopened the highway once the wrong-way driver was no longer a threat to northbound traffic.

Defense Attorneys File for Dismissal in Case of Jahi Turner

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Attorneys for the man accused of murder in the death of two year old Jahi Turner have filed a motion to dismiss the case.

On Friday, the attorney for Tieray Jones, Turner’s step father, filed a notice and motion to dismiss “due to denial of speedy trial.”

The toddler disappeared in 2002 after Jones reported the boy missing from a playground in Golden Hill (the area is now part of South Park). Jones told investigators he left to get the child a drink, and when he returned 15 minutes later, the boy was gone.

The child’s disappearance set off a large search from hundreds of volunteers and police. The search even led teams to a local landfill. Jahi Turner was never found.

In April 2016, 14 years after the child’s disappearance, Jones was arrested in North Carolina. Investigators cited new evidence, including writings from Jones in a journal.

Attorneys for Jones have rejected the notion of ‘new evidence’, saying the journal was available to investigators in 2002. They also say District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis rejected prosecution in 2004.

His attorneys say Jones would be hard pressed to get a fair trial because many favorable witnesses have died, or may have forgotten details 14 years after the fact. They also are concerned Jones’ ex-wife, who once supported him, may not be a favorable witness because of a nasty divorce.

“This works against Mr. Jones because there are witnesses in 2002, they would have said ‘yes I saw it’ and it would have exonerated him we believe,” said attorney Alex Ozols.

“What we’re worried about is, because of the delay, now he’s not going to get a fair trial and now he may be convicted because of it. If they would have brought this case to trial before it was closed in 2004, when they had all the evidence that we believe they have now, then Mr. Jones would have gotten a fair trial,” Ozols added.

The district attorney’s office would not comment on the motion to dismiss because it’s an ongoing criminal case.

Attorneys for Jones say they’ve had to look through more than 100,000 pages of documents, and more than 100 hours of audio recordings, which has delayed Jones’ preliminary hearing.

That hearing is now set for December 5th.



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego

Wisconsin Police Have Suspect in Death of Saudi Student

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Wisconsin police say they have a suspect in the fatal beating of a Saudi college student more than two weeks ago, NBC News reported.

The Menomonie Police Department said Friday investigators have found no evidence indicating the death was a hate crime. Police are withholding the suspect's name until prosecutors decide whether to charge the suspect.

Hussain Saweed Alnahdi, 24, died after being beaten near a pizzeria in downtown Menomonie early Oct. 30. Alnahdi was from Saudi Arabia and was a junior majoring in business administration at University of Wisconsin-Stout.

UW-Stout spokesman Doug Mell thanked police for their efforts, and said it continues to send thoughts and prayers to Alnahdi's family and friends.



Photo Credit: University of Wisconsin-Stout

Girlfriend Arrested in Early Friday Stabbing Death of Boyfriend

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The Escondido Police Department (EPD) has made an arrest in connection to the stabbing death of a man early Friday morning.

Just after 2 a.m., police responded to a domestic dispute call on the 2200 block of E. Lincoln Avenue near Paula Way. Police arrived to find a man suffering from apparent stab wounds in the back bedroom of a home.

According to Lt. Ed Varso of EPD, the girlfriend of the injured man, 35-year-old Alda Garcia, called a family member for help after the couple was involved in a fight. The family member then called 911.

The man was rushed to Palomar Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Meanwhile, EPD investigators interviewed Garcia, who was at the scene when they arrived, but didn’t take her into custody.

EPD announced that it had arrested Garcia at approximately 7:11 p.m. Friday. She was booked into the Vista Detention Facility and charged with one count of murder.

Rady Asks Business to Seize Good-Hearted Fundraiser

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Rady Children’s Hospital frequently hears about outside fundraisers in their honor, but this one might stand out for quite some time.

A picture of a gumball machine taken by an NBC 7 viewer inside an El Cajon taco shop shows key chains and necklaces made in the image of guns, bullets, and brass knuckles. The bottom of the machine has a sign with the price of the toy chains, 25 cents, along with the Rady Children’s Hospital logo.

The owner of the vending machine said that he was simply trying to raise funds for Rady, something that hospital officials say independent parties do all of the time.

While the hospital appreciates the effort and is grateful for the compassion, this just isn’t the type of fund raiser the hospital wants to be associated with.

“The activity does need to be in line with our mission, and this obviously was not in line with our mission, so it would not have been an approved activity" said Carol Daymon-Scherer, Rady Children’s Hospital Foundation Vice President of Development.

Daymon-Scherer says the vendor was very apologetic and promised to take the Rady Children’s Hospital sign out of the machine.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

'Hamilton' Cast Addresses VP-Elect

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Vice president-elect Mike Pence was loudly booed and cheered by audience members as he walked into the Richard Rodgers Theatre in midtown Friday to watch "Hamilton." 

Video posted to social media shows the audience at the Broadway show reacting boisterously as Pence walked into the theater with Secret Service in tow.

"Here's Pence getting booed as he gets to his seats at Hamilton," tweeted an audience member who captured the loud reaction on video. 

Ron Rawlings, who was visiting from Dallas, Texas, later told NBC 4 New York, "Everything was calm, and then we heard almost a hysterical booing, went on for a long time. As my daughter and I stood up to see what was going on, we saw Vice President-elect Pence coming in."

"It was the most gross display of disrespect I've ever seen. It was awful," Rawlings continued.

Rawlings said of Pence's reaction: "He was very dignified, and there were a couple of people that showed support, he acknowledged them. He took his seat, he was very kind, he was very gracious." 

Hannah Blau, visiting from Columbus, Ohio, said, "Some people were clapping, but the boos were overwhelming." She added that she thought it was "cool" that "people are still vocalizing their opposition." 

"I thought LeBron Game 6 in Boston was the emotionally charged performance until this Hamilton performance with Mike Pence in audience," tweeted Noah Coslov, a digital sports editor.

After the performance ended, the cast gathered on stage to read a statement to Pence.

"Vice President-elect Pence, we welcome you and truly thank you for joining us here tonight at Hamilton, we really do," said actor Brandon Victor Dixon, who plays Aaror Burr, with the cast assembled behind him.

"We, sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our alienable rights, sir," said Dixon.

"But we truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us," he continued. "We truly thank you for sharing this show, this wonderful American story told by a diverse group of men, women of different colors, creeds and orientation."

The audience clapped and cheered as Dixon spoke. 

Earlier in the evening, Trump set off his own firestorm over Twitter among New Yorkers when drivers stuck in traffic near the Lincoln Tunnel complained about the hour-long gridlock as his motorcade headed from Trump Tower to his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey. 

"@realDonaldTrump, thanks for closing down the Lincoln tunnel for your motorcade at 4pm on a Friday," tweeted one woman.

The NYPD and Mayor de Blasio have been urging drivers to avoid the area around Trump Tower between now and Inauguration Day. 

Despite spending his entire life in New York City, Trump was not a popular choice in the Big Apple on Election Day. He was beaten by Clinton in every borough except Staten Island. He also lost the popular vote statewide by nearly a 2-to-1 margin.



Photo Credit: NBC 4 NY
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Santee Sonic Shut Down Due to Mice Infestation

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The Sonic drive-in on Mission Gorge Road in Santee has been closed due to a mice infestation, the San Diego County Communications Office confirmed Friday.

The San Diego County Department of Public Health (DPH) shut the drive-in down at around 4 p.m. after an inspection prompted by a tip.

According to a communication officer with the county, a “significant” amount of cleaning and sanitizing must be done before the DPH will come back for a follow-up inspection.

There is no definitive timetable for the drive-in’s reopening.

According to the DPH, the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health investigated the drive-in in December after receiving reports of vermin, but found nothing.

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